The Children's Shakespeare [Paperback]

E. Nesbit NESBIT (Author), Rolf Klep (Author), Edith Nesbit (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

In her touching introduction to this collection, Britain's beloved children's author E. Nesbit shares with us her very personal inspiration for The Children's Shakespeare. As a writer, she understood that the stories are the least part of Shakespeare, but as a mother she also understood the need for simplicity. Her daughters were far too young to handle such complex language, yet certainly they must be capable of appreciating, indeed enjoying, the stories hidden within.

Envisioning this simplified introduction to works such as The Winter's Tale, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Taming of the Shrew-eleven plays in all-E. Nesbit set out to make them more accessible to young readers without sacrificing any essential elements. For if the stories were stripped of their wit and humor, of their emotion, the children would be no more entertained by them than by the indecipherable originals.

In the end, under E. Nesbit's gifted pen, these stories emerged with all the charm and grace of the very best fairy tales. Written in thoroughly modern English and each no more than ten pages in length, the eleven plays featured in this volume afford children the opportunity to discover for themselves the magic of Shakespeare.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...to families who want to share their Shakespeare with children ...this book would make a good beginning. -- Commonweal

About the Author

Edith Nesbit was born in London in 1858, and educated in convents in England and on the Continent. She wrote a good deal on political subjects, but achieved real success as a writer of children's books. Her most famous include The Story of the Treasure-Seekers (1899), The Would-Be-Goods (1901) and The Five Children and It (1902). The incredible popularity of The Railway Children (1906) led to its film adaptation in 1970.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 117 pages
• Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089733485X
• ISBN-13: 978-0897334853
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Performing Arts > Drama & Theater

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Veeeerrrry short. Lovely illustrations. Note for educators: list of all plays at end of review, February 23, 2010

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amazonbuyer - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Children's Shakespeare (Paperback)

The stories are quite short as mentioned above, but still wonderful. And yet, I would not have minded a little more meat, even for the young listeners & readers. I look at these stories as a whetting of the appetite and mental preparation for the real and better thing.

One of my frustrations while trying to decide whether or not I should purchase this book was the lack of a complete list of the "plays" contained in the collection. I want to share them with you along with short notes regarding how they appear in the book:

The Winter's Tale: 8 pages, with a little over 2 pages of dialogue.
Romeo and Juliet: 10 pages, about 2 pages of dialog.
The Tempest: 4 page long synopsis, with good summary quote at the end.
A Midsummer Night's Dream: 7 pages with about 4 pages of dialogue.
King Lear: 8 pages with about 2 pages of dialogue.
Cymbeline: 8 pages with about 6 pages of dialogue.
The Taming of the Shrew: 9 pages, 5 pages of dialogue
Hamlet: 8 pages, 2 and a half of dialogue
Twelfth Night: 8 pages, 7 of dialogue
As You Like It: 8 pages, 5 of dialogue.
Pericles: 8 pages, 1 of dialogue. Basically a synopsis.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic introduction to Shakespeare for younger children, March 21, 2004

By 

Bryn S Dews (Chelmsford, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Children's Shakespeare (Paperback)

I read and reread this book as a youth. The stories read much like classic fairy tales with tragedy, irony, and moral lessons. The writing is very accessible and encouraged me to seek out the full length "stories" in their original (play script) form once I was old enough (6th/7th grade) to really read them.

For a child who has a love of literature, these retellings of the great plays may start a life-long interest in Shakespeare's art (as they did for me).

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic find of understandable Shakespeare for all., November 7, 1999

By 

Rita Beland (Boston,Ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Children's Shakespeare (Audio Cassette)

Beautifully read with passion. The stories come alive with the terrific narration and emotion. The backround music adds a special quality, and flows effortlessly with the stories. For those who never thought they could understand or appreciate The Bard don't miss out on this. This Shakespeare is easy to comprehend. It also includes many expected quotes even though it is abridged. If you want your children to be "culture literate", this is a must for any collection.